SNCF is preparing to welcome its first new generation TGV M. Trains that will allow the company to save on train construction costs and energy, while gaining flexibility in passenger transport.
The TGV M should run from 2024, perhaps before the start of the Olympic Games in Paris. The first trains currently under construction in La Rochelle, in Alstom’s workshops, will soon join the Czech Republic on a circuit to carry out tests at 200 km/h. They will return in 2023 to circulate on the French network, initially without passengers.
A train that adapts to all needs
This train with a slender profile must fulfill several vital objectives for the SNCF. First, the TGV M will allow the company to save on construction costs, around 20% compared to the previous generation. It is not a custom-designed train, but a model “chosen from the catalogue”: it is of course adapted to the needs of the SNCF, but it will also be built for other operators. The Avelia Horizon range, the name given by Alstom to the device, will also be manufactured for the American Amtrak.
Although the top speed of the TGV M will be lower than previously (320 km/h maximum), its aerodynamics, its more efficient engines and the substantive work carried out to lighten it will enable it to consume 20% less energy. For the passenger, these efforts pay off because these savings are reflected in the cost of the ticket! In addition, the SNCF will also gain in flexibility: the train can accommodate up to 730 passengers per train (630 today).
The design of the TGV M allows the carrier to transform a first class car into second class and vice versa overnight. Finally, bicycle spaces will be easily fitted out according to needs.
